I talk to patients every day and one of the most common things I get asked is “Is this normal?”. Here’s a list some of the most common symptoms/complaints I hear from patients. See if you experience any of them and I will tell you if it is normal:
- I have a sandy gritty feeling in my eyes, or it always feels like there’s something in my eyes
- I have fluctuating vision that gets better with blinking
- I am very sensitive to light
- My eyes are red, achy/sore, or fatigued (or a variation of this)
- I feel like my contact lenses dry out quickly and by the end of the day I want to rip them out!
What Do These Mean
How many of these can you relate to? Let me spare you the suspense and tell you these are NOT normal and you should not have to deal with them! They are ALL actually symptoms of dry eye disease.
It is not that much of a surprise considering we are living in a digital age. We spend an inordinate amount of time on screens, phones, or computers. Additionally, medications that we are using to treat a variety of systemic conditions (like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety & depression, sleep apnea, and allergies/allergy meds to name a few) can exacerbate these symptoms.
Treatment Options
The good news is that we are way beyond telling you to take artificial tears and just sending you on your way. We have numerous treatment options that we can customize for your specific situation. These include everything from lifestyle changes to at home therapies to in office procedures to reduce symptoms and optimize vision. Give the office a call or click here set up a dry eye evaluation and we can customize treatment options for you!